What to look for (continued)

Backlighting: There are two basic types of backlighting used in LED-backlit LCD TVs: array and edge lit. As previously discussed, every element in an OLED (or mLED) panel is its own backlight.

Array backlighting is simply a grid of LEDs placed directly behind the screen. It’s an advanced type of what was once referred to as direct backlighting. Edge lighting, as you’ve probably guessed, places the light source around the edge of the display. The photons emitted by the source are redirected by various means (tunnels, light pipes, reflective materials, et al) to the other layers of the display.

Vizio

This image from Vizio illustrates how array backlighting with local dimming can reduce light bleed in darker areas.

Array backlighting generally produces better blacks than edge lighting, though this depends highly on other factors, such as the quality of the LCDs (some leak less light than others), the algorithms used to darken the zones (the individual lights or light groups), and the material being displayed. Array backlighting can also produce significantly more brightness than edge lighting, which comes in handy for HDR.

Edge lighting tends to bleed more light around, yes, the edges. But it generally doesn’t suffer the odd artifacts, such as blocking (obvious dark or light squares), that poorly implemented array backlighting can.

High-quality array backlighting is what you want, but edge lighting is fine for any video without a lot of bright spots on dark backgrounds. And that’s actually the vast majority of material.

Motion and refresh rate: Vendors like to combine the tricks they use to smooth motion, such as flashing the backlight, and blend these with the actual hardware refresh rate (the number of times per second that the entire display can be redrawn, typically 60 or 120 times) to come up with indicative but confusing terms such as TruMotion, Clear Motion, and so on.

The truth is, all things being equal, you have twice as many redraws to play with on a 120Hz set as on a 60Hz set, and the motion will nearly always look smoother with a fast refresh rate. The best LED-backlit LCD sets all have 120Hz refresh rates.

Ports and connectivity: At a minimum, your TV should have three or four HDMI ports for connecting disc players, media streamers, and outboard audio gear (via ARC). Alternatively, most sets still offer optical digital and RCA/analog outputs for connecting older audio equipment, although those connections don’t have the bandwidth required for high-resolution audio such as Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio.

You’ll also need USB ports if you want to connect a keyboard or mouse, or play downloaded media from USB drives. Coax is required for antennas, and you’ll find one on any TV that features a tuner. Vizio was making “displays” for a couple of years that didn’t have tuners, but this year’s P-Series has re-acquired them.

LG

Pay attention to the type and number of ports. This is only one of two port areas on an LG TV. Many TVs offer ports nearer the side as well for the sake of easy access.

As nearly all TVs are “smart” (using internet connectivity for browsing, streaming, gaming, etc) you need a network connection. The majority have both hardwired ethernet and Wi-Fi, but it pays to check.

Bluetooth can be used for peripherals and remotes, but implementations vary. Note that even low-latency Bluetooth has a lag of 40 milliseconds, so while you can connect Bluetooth speakers and/or headphones, you’ll notice a time lapse between lip movements and words. Using HDMI ARC, optical, or analog audio outputs is preferable for video content.

Apps and IQ: Just how “smart” your TV is depends greatly on which operating system it uses. Sony, and some Hisense models, use Android TV; LG uses WebOS, although it also offers the Roku OS to compete with budget-builder TCL; Samsung uses its own proprietary OS. But to give credit where credit is due, all of those operating systems are based on a Linux kernel.

Most of the recent TV operating systems support one or another of the popular digital assistants: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby, and so on. If they don’t recognize speech natively, you can usually control them with a smart speaker (Amazon Echo, Google Home, or the like).

The number and type of apps available varies wildly from one smart TV to the next, with some providing just the essentials for local and networked media playback and browsing, with others supporting the biggest streaming services (e.g., Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube). Smart TVs based on Android TV and Roku tend to have the broadest ecosystems. If there’s something special you’re looking for—HBO Now or Showtime Now, for instance—make sure it’s there to be had.

At least one IDG employee found Sony’s integrated channel guide to be a key attraction. Most TVs lack this simple, but very handy feature, (LG has a strong guide, too), which is particularly valuable for cord cutters who take advantage of over-the-air television broadcasts.

Energy consumption: You know those yellow stickers on the TVs that estimate yearly power consumption? Unless you adjust your set to ECO mode or something similar (which hardly anyone does, because you won’t get the best picture quality), those stats are pure fantasy.

Everything else: There are a few other factors you’ll want to consider, ranging from remote controls to I/O breakout boxes for ports; from bezel thickness to how the TV will looked mounted on the wall. But those concerns are meaningless if you don’t have a good image. Shop image first, and then worry about the bells and whistles.

LG

LG’s Magic Remote and interface use a free-moving cursor (the pink plectrum) so you don’t need to step through lists to select things. It’s an absolute joy to use.

That said, LG’s Magic Remote and WebOS interface are the gold standard. Honorable mentions go to Roku, Samsung, and Hisense. That said, I’ve yet to run across anything I couldn’t live with, and there are always third-party universal remotes if you want something more stylish, efficient, or versatile.

How to judge TV picture quality

While I’ve just described the features you should look for in a TV, as I said before, the factors that matter the most are accurate color, contrast, blacks, good peak brightness, backlighting that doesn’t bleed or create halos around things, and high-quality image processing. High-quality image processing means seeing minimal moiré and shimmer during pans, and observing minimal judder (jerkiness) during action shots. In a digital world, processing is very important. You’ll also appreciate a 120Hz refresh rate if you can afford it.

A major problem when shopping (unless you’re just going by online reviews and opinions) is that most of the on-TV demos you’ll see running in the stores are designed to make that particular TV look good, or at the very least, not make it look bad. To accurately assess a TV’s capabilities, you need to bring your own material on a USB stick. What material is that?

For your convenience, we’ve placed several screens for you to download below (right-click on each rectangle and save it as a picture.

Use pure red, green, and blue to test color accuracy.

IDG

Reds should not appear orangish, or pinkish.

IDG

Look for a lack of yellow in the greens.

IDG

LED backlights are heavily skewed towards the blue range of the spectrum, so most TVs will do well on this test. This image should not be tinged with any green.

Blues are nearly always pretty accurate, but look for greens with too much yellow, and reds that are orangish rather than pure red.

The black with a dark gray rectangle will reveal light leakage. The gray is to keep the TV from shutting off the backlight completely.

IDG

The dark gray rectangle in the center of this otherwise black image should force the TV to keep its backlight on, so you can pick out light leakage.

The white image allows you to took for uneven coatings and dark spots where the backlight coverage is spotty. You’ll see that in the corners most often.

IDG

Use the solid white image to look for cloudiness or dark areas in corners. You will see some with nearly all LED-backlit LCD TVs, but it should be minimal.

You can search the web for 4K UHD HDR demos, and finding suitable ones, load them on your USB stick. Sony’s Contrast Demos are particularly useful to test blacks and backlighting. Beyond that, highly detailed scenes such as aerial cityscapes, fine patterns, and forest scenes are handy for spotting shimmer and moiré, and quick pans over large patterns are good for spotting jerky motion.

During your evaluations, be aware that there is no perfect TV. Even the best will exhibit some of the defects I’ve told you to look for. It’s the severity that counts.

Our most recent smart TV reviews

This TV offers a world-class picture and the best remote and user interface in the business. Only very minor imperfections handling noise in highly detailed scenes and pans prevented it from earning a 5-star review.

Cons

The A9F series are great TVs. OLED provides excellent color and deep blacks, and no manufacturer does TV sound better than Sony. That said, it's not a vast improvement over its much-less-expensive predecessors, not to mention LG's E8-series OLEDs.

Pros

Rich OLED color and deep blacks

Excellent HDR with more than 750 nits

Great sound (for a flat-screen)

Cons

The Q8FN doesn't include the One Connect box, and its luminance spec is slightly lower than the more-expensive Q9FN, but it's every bit as good on all other counts. It's a great TV at a very good price.

Pros

Excellent color

Lots of peak brightness to make HDR pop

Affordably priced for a quantum dot TV

Cons

The Q9FN just might be the best TV on the planet. it features the most dynamic picture in the business with great color, excellent brightness, and wonderful detail. Very granular backlighting results in blacks that are as good as they get in an LED-backlit LCD TV. On the downside, it doesn't support Dolby Vision, and the user interface can be tedious.

Pros

Excellent color and clarity

Super stylish interface, remote, and connectivity

Excellent HDR rendering

Cons

Doesn't support Dolby Vision

Interface and remote combo are handsome, but not as efficient as they could be

Sony's XBR X900F barely squeaked out 4 stars because of Sony's excellent image processing. But its color palette skews too far blue. And while the 900F is bright, its HDR effect doesn't pop as much as some of the competition.

Pros

Excellent image processing

Plenty bright for HDR

Tight fit and finish

Cons

Color palette suffers from a minor blue shift

Mild, though smooth blooming around bright objects on a dark background

With better blacks and more overall usable brightness, this TV would rule its class, as it's the only 120Hz panel we're aware of anywhere near this price. But when it comes to HDR, the H9E Plus can't match some of the brighter competition.

Pros

120Hz panel makes for smooth action and pans

Dolby Vision support

Good color with decent saturation and acuity

Cons

You're unlikely to find a 55-inch TV with better color or HDR performance in this price range, and the Roku OS is top-notch. Noticeable stutter in fast action sequences, on the other hand, moiré in high-detail panning shots, and backlighting issues remind that you're paying a lot less.

Pros

Very good color

Roku operating system is very easy to use

Very affordable for a true HDR TV

Cons

Exceptional brightness and HDR highlighting make this 65-inch TV a standout at its $1,200 street price. Despite being a 120Hz panel, however, it doesn't handle action particularly well, and it has problems with shimmer and moiré during panning shots with lots of detail.